Santa Maria police take aim at drag racers

May 26, 2015

Santa Maria police conducted a sting on street racers Friday night, shortly after officers obtained video of a daytime drag race on a city street. [KEYT]

Police received dash cam footage of two cars drag racing on Tama Lane earlier this month. In the video, two vehicles lined up, a woman signaled for them to go and they sped off.

The footage also shows dark tire marks from vehicles doing “donuts.” The date on the dash cam video is May 17, and the time that appears in the footage is approximately 11:18 a.m.

On Friday night, Santa Maria police teamed up with the California Highway Patrol and cited 25 drivers for a variety of driving offenses. Officers cited several drivers for “exhibitionism” and other activities related to drag racing.

They impounded seven vehicles. Potential punishments for street racing offences include a citation, a $2,000 impound fee and two marks on one’s driving record.

Officers also cited two people for driving with a suspended license.

The police department is planning more operations like Friday’s. They are funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through the California Office of Traffic Safety.

Good work, I guess there is a chance somebody has been made safer with these citations and impoundments. Good work, as these make some danger and lots of noise pollution.

Now how about cops, PD’s and CHP’s CEASING to ignore and grant a free pass to loud cars and bikers? They rumble and disturb and harm the HEALTH (according to EPA and CDC research) of people they waken and startle. It is NOT just a nuisance or “bad boy” issue, it’s health. Noise pollution from Flowmaster trucks, “boom” cars with ridiculous sound systems, and principally motorcycles modified in defiance of 40CFR part 205 et. seq. and CVC 27150 are a huge impact on public health safety and peace.

For those of you who have missed my 125,000 previous postings of the law on this in the past, motorcycles are MORE heavily regulated since 1985 manufacture than cars. You can NOT ride a 1985 or later motorcycle on ANY USA street without an EPA smog/noise approval stamp on the exhaust system. Factory bikes are swift, reliable, and QUIET.

They sound like well blending, quiet swift machines from the factory, not blatting blasting oil dripping thug toilets of criminal bikers. Get with it, CHP, and put at least a LITTLE enforcement pressure on the worst of the loud thug bikers. They lay down a harming noise pollution foot print with every mile they ride.

Thank you, SamLouis. You are more succinct than I am. Yes, it’s BS. Never been a credible study that noise BEHIND a machine confers a safety benefit. Nobody overtakes and runs down a (seven year old mentality on a) motorcycle from behind, the impact risks come 90% from direct frontals.

That biker lie convinces a small number of people, unfortunately, just like “it came that way from the factory” the other big falsehood of the sociopathic noise community. The federal factory noise standard is the same as a Toyota Camry – 80Db(A) > year 1985.

Good place to mention the two responses I’ve heard to the biker lie:
“Loud Pipes Lose Rights” and
“Loud Pipe – Small Dink”

Last time I checked motorcycles do not travel faster than the speed of sound. Thus, the sound from a bike will be present ahead of it. I have seen first hand how a quiet bike is not noticed by other vehicles on the road as well as a loud one. Its funny to me that a comment about this is met with insults and not one first hand account other than complaints that it bothers you. Your comments are just as “obnoxious” as any loud pipe I’ve ever been near. Maybe you guys should get some ear plugs, some eye patches and stay in your homes so you have to see or hear anything that might offend you.

My first hand is I rode. My single crash was a typical frontal, not my fault, an automobile turn into my visible, headlight lit cruiser. No amount of noise would have helped and yes, it had a factory quiet exhaust and was a hot ride I enjoyed in younger years.

My “first hand” experience, as you call it is, noise doesn’t “bother” me, noise in the correct place (ranch, race track, Sturgis) isn’t a bad thing. I have a turbodiesel dozer way out on the ranch that can out-sound any bike, and I’d LOVE to drive it over a row of loud bikes.

No, wlb, it doesn’t “bother” us adults, it harms our HEALTH and that of most that you ride past, wakens babies and accomplishes NOTHING according to studies, to confer safety upon you.

All your writing is self-serving B.S. Thankfully a growing groundswell of jurisdictions is catching on that civilized noise laws and muffler regs need to be enforced against those too selfish, arrogant, self-absorbed and egocentric to ride quietly with some class.

Your own AMA association BEGS riders not to modify, check the AMA website.